DICT highlights public-private FinTech partnerships in Singapore expo

MANILA – The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) highlighted the country’s partnerships with private companies to grow its digital finance ecosystem at the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2025, held from Nov. 12 to 14.

In his keynote address at the event on Friday, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda emphasized the country’s mission to build a more “inclusive and trusted” digital economy, grounded in reliable infrastructure and strong public-private partnerships.

“Our digital economy has grown fast—but not evenly. Many Filipinos still wait for a signal that never comes or a payment that never loads. This is the challenge we inherited, and this is exactly what we are fixing. Under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we are building a Digital Philippines where no one is left behind,” Aguda said.

To ensure digital transformation delivers meaningful impact to the public, the Philippine government is aligning modern innovations with policy.

“We are advancing digital identity, open finance, cybersecurity, and AI governance so that every transaction is reliable, every connection secure, and every opportunity within reach,” he said.

He also highlighted the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026 and its theme, “AI as the Future of ASEAN.”

“We see AI not as a threat, but as a shared opportunity—to build a smarter, more inclusive region together,” he said.

During the three-day expo, the Philippines Country Pavilion was represented by the DICT and several fintech and financial institutions such as Maya, GCash, LandBank and RCBC.

It featured executives in both the Philippine government and the private sector, including Aguda; Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo Macaraig; Sopnendu Mohanty, co-founder and group CEO of the Global Finance and Technology Network; and Lito Villanueva, founding chairperson of FinTech Alliance PH.

The Philippine pavilion also highlighted the eGovPH app featuring Kuya Ey, an AI assistant that seeks to help Filipinos access government services, digital payments and financial tools.

During the festival, the DICT and Maya also formalized a memorandum of understanding to expand government payments and improve digital financial access nationwide. (PNA)

Source: Philippine News Agency